Posts Tagged ‘Qualitative Research Strategies’

Pop quiz! Think about the last research project you did. What proportion of your time was assigned to design, logistics/set-up, execution, analysis, and reporting?

If you’re putting anything less than 30% of your project muscle into the design stage, securing the foundation of the project, I contend that you’re likely wasting your valuable time and research dollars.

What fills that 30% proportion of time? Planning for success. We like to call this “The Wonder Session.” This is not a project “kick-off.” This is what happens in the most successful research projects well before the kick-off.

Another meeting. We hear the groans. However, I’ve never left one of these sessions where the team didn’t have greater cohesion and increased precision about what we really wanted to accomplish in the research. Including your research partners to hear it all makes The Wonder Session even better. The result? Thoughtful design, richer insights, and smarter business decisions.

State the research objectives: What is the problem that we’re trying to solve? What is the business decision that needs to be made? What has led to this research need? Are you really seeking, e.g., appeal, perceived competition, or product distinction? Putting in time to define the problems fully and in depth makes them easier to solve, which means saving time, money and resources.

Present existing research: What do we already know related to this challenge? What don’t we know enough about? What do we believe is still true? Meta-analysis of primary and secondary research saves money by utilizing existing knowledge, and clarifies research gaps. And examining previous research further defines who exactly we need to speak with, and most importantly, illustrates why their voices matter to your business in this research effort.

Probe the stakeholder voice: Who are the stakeholders that matter most? What are stakeholders’ needs vs. wants? What investment, resources, and capabilities are available? There’s nothing worse than retrofitting stakeholders’ concerns after research is in the field. Allocate time to surface stakeholder agendas, note (and share!) the political watch-outs, consider the what-if’s well before the project is a “go.”

Capture team members’ hypotheses: There’s no better way to refine objectives than by listening to team members’ expected results. How do they think the customer will respond? Press further–what are the optimal responses, the language and commentary that they’d love to hear? In what ways do they expect (or hope) participantswill express their needs? Make a list of hypotheses, guard it, and bring it back for the post-field analysis.

Refine the research objectives and “criteria for success”: After completing the above steps, revisit the initially stated objectives with a red pen. Now, who is really the target? What do we expect to learn from those key participants? What is “need to know” vs. “nice to have?” And end The Wonder Session by defining the 3-5 elements of a successful project; what will a successful project deliver?

Consider The Wonder Session the “breakfast” of your project–as we all know, the most important meal of the day! Putting more muscle into the up-front, pre-field planning serves as the “protein” of the research project—it’s filling, satisfying, and provides lasting energy. The reward? Efficient and insightful research learning that will ultimately help move your business forward.

NOW it’s time for the formal research kick-off meeting with your core team and your qualitative strategists. Go forth and prosper!

Mobile qualitative has been a viable method for over 10 years. But as the technology has improved so have the possibilities. If you haven’t considered mobile research—or considered it recently — I’d like to give you three reasons why you should:

The Ubiquity of Smartphones

According to a Pew Research study, 77% of Americans now own a smartphone, and among Millennials that number climbs to 92%. People consider their phone a natural extension of themselves, and rarely if ever leave home without it. Mobile methods capitalize on the fact that we are not asking respondents to do anything unnatural or unfamiliar. It’s become a selfie culture, and many smartphone users already obsessively record every moment of their lives. So why not consider harnessing this behavior to better understand your customer? Short of moving in with them, you can’t get better access!

Behaviors In-the-Moment and On-the-Go

Mobile research provides an unprecedented opportunity to observe and capture behaviors when they are naturally occurring– in-home, in-store, in-car, or anywhere else. Not because we asked them to do something and report back to us, but because they were authentically doing it in their own time for their own reasons.

For one of our clients, we intercepted potential respondents as they entered a geo-fenced location–in this case, a car dealership– and invited them to participate in a phone interview immediately following their visit with the goal of understanding and enhancing the consumer experience. As you can imagine, the level of detail and emotion as they reported on their experiences was far greater by talking to them in-the-moment than it would’ve been had we asked them the same questions six weeks later.

Behaviors Over Time

With in-person ethnography we usually observe behaviors at a single point in time, primarily for practical reasons. While there is no substitute for spending time with your customer, and seeing their lives in context, mobile ethnography gives researchers the ability to capture behaviors as they occur over time. This allows us to pinpoint patterns and triggers that often do not surface in a single visit. A good compromise is to conduct a hybrid study: an initial visit with the respondent in-person, followed by a mobile assignment over time.

Imagine asking a respondent to keep a week long mobile journal to “show and tell” each moment related to making daily dinner decisions: the planning (what triggers a dinner decision), shopping (use a list? make an impulse purchase? shop a sale?); preparing (challenges); serving (what “makes” the meal); and even daily self-reflections (wouldn’t it be great if…). How much richer the insights would be than asking a respondent to recall this information in a traditional research setting.

If these are not reasons enough to consider incorporating mobile into your research plans, here are three more. When participating via mobile, respondents:

Are less apt to censor or filter their opinions and actions because of a sense of anonymity

Can be less self-conscious than when a moderator is present

Can complete assignments anywhere, at any time of day (and can receive text alerts to remind them to do so)

One of the most amazing things I learned as an improv performer is the prolific power of in-the-moment mindfulness. Improv is not about being quick witted on the fly. Rather it’s all about concentrating on the moment at hand and working together to move a conversation forward. The ensuing repartee is the miraculous by-product of being 100 percent present and engaged in the here and now, rather than mentally mired in the past or future.

By experimenting with this technique in the context of qualitative research, I’ve discovered in-the-moment mindfulness paired with ethnography to be a winning combination. Ethnography by design is grounded in real-world interaction, and therefore a step closer to a consumer’s actual, experiential state of being. But you can inspire an even deeper, truer level of revelation about consumer motivations, needs, and emotions by incorporating some in-the-moment moderation techniques:

Count Relay Icebreaker: Loosen up your respondents and get them grounded in the here and now with this quick, fun icebreaker. After introductions and sharing of typical upfront information, tell the respondent you two are going to play a quick game to help loosen each other up and set the stage for a great conversation. Then, count to 15 aloud in alternating sequence, as fast as you can, i.e. the moderator starts with “1” then respondent says “2” and so on, back and forth quickly until reaching 15. Then, repeat the exercise counting down backwards from 15. When it’s all said and done, you’ll both be energized, more relaxed due to certain mistakes and ensuing laughter, and fully present and engaged with each other.

Maintain Moderator Mental Presence: Whether it’s keeping track of time, thinking about previous or forthcoming questions, or managing stimulus, distraction is an ever-present obstacle for moderators. One way to keep your mind in-the-now – and project that same state of focus on your respondent – is to physically orient yourself once you arrive at the interview. An easy way to do so is once you sit down, be aware of and feel how a specific part of your body is interacting with the environment, e.g. feel your feet on the floor, or your hands on the table, or your upper legs making contact with the chair. If at some point during the interview you are feeling distracted, simply re-orient using the aforementioned technique to get back in-the-moment.

Present Tense Talk: When you want a respondent to tell you about something they did in the past, or engage in an activity you want to observe, ask them to talk you through it speaking in the present tense. Doing so literally puts the respondent in-the-moment mentally, thereby aiding recall and greater depth of insight.

These tools work well in traditional focus groups, too. In-the-moment techniques can help bridge the gap between real life and the group room, enhancing respondent recall and articulation. In fact, once respondents are made aware the techniques make it easier for them to express all of their thoughts and opinions, I’ve discovered they participate without hesitation.

I’ve been conducting advertising communication checks for over 30 years, and one thing has not changed… most of the parties involved dread them. The agency doesn’t like seeing their creative work questioned based on input from a small number of research participants in an artificial setting. The client does not like navigating the politics of getting the job done, all the while knowing the agency is less than thrilled. And no one really likes sitting in a back room, or in front of a computer screen, for hours on end listening to the same questions being asked every 20-30 minutes.

Yet there are some very compelling reasons why we continue to conduct communication checks:

To make sure we haven’t lost sight of who the target is, keeping our finger on the pulse of how best to communicate with them, and mitigate coming across as pandering or tone deaf

To make sure we haven’t missed the mark on messaging, and mistaking what we thought was crystal clear for a totally unintended meaning

To make sure the visuals support the message, rather than conflict with it

To make sure that brand/product recall is strong. It’s great if people love the ad, but if they don’t know what it’s advertising, what’s the point?

To optimize (or eliminate) executions prior to quantitative testing and/or final production. Why not find out if there are ways the execution can be tweaked to strengthen it before spending large sums of money?

Clearly, I’m coming out on the side of considering communication checks valuable. To maximize their value, here are Six Tips for More Productive Communication Checks:

Limit exposure to three executions per respondent, to prevent fatigue from clouding candid feedback

Video storyboards with audio are acceptable; a complete video (albeit rough cut) is better; don’t make the consumer work too hard to see the idea

Consider exposing the ads in a clutter reel to more closely simulate a real viewing experience and more accurately assess breakthrough

Keep them 1:1 for the most honest commentary. People rarely watch programs or web surf with others, let alone strangers!

Keep them short (20-30 minutes) to prevent over-thinking and to be efficient. We often do 12-18 interviews per day!

Consider conducting the interviews online rather than in-person. When people are at home, they are more relaxed and more likely to provide candid feedback. Use a platform built for research for the most problem-free experience.

One rule to keep in mind: Avoid using communication checks to kill a creative concept. Not only is the sample size too small, but the research is designed to assess communication not the core concept, so elimination is incongruous in this research context. Follow this one simple rule, incorporate some of the tips above, and the needle can easily be moved from “necessary evil” to truly advantageous!

During the course of my qualitative career, clients and colleagues have told me that one of my strengths is being able to establish rapport with people from all walks of life. So I would like to share what I have learned about fostering trust and encouraging candid responses:

Setting expectations upfront. This seems basic but it’s important. When the moderator informs respondents about what to expect during a qualitative interview or group discussion (e.g., the length, the topic, the purpose, recording of the research, observers/listeners, etc.), it increases their comfort level and makes them more likely to share their thoughts and feelings.

Showing respondents unconditional positive regard (UPR). A good moderator should convey to respondents that all perspectives and opinions are welcome and respected. It begins with the moderator’s belief and attitude that everyone has something to offer – an opinion, an idea, or an experience — a potential nugget that could make the entire project worthwhile. During introductions, set the tone by acknowledging each person by name and thanking them for sharing information about themselves.

Being genuine. I think respondents are more apt to respond honestly if they sense that the moderator is being open with them, and is being true to their own personality and style.

Realizing you can’t judge a book by its cover. It is natural to form an initial impression of people based on appearance, but the moderator and clients should not let it get in the way of listening to each person and believing that each person represents a unique perspective that has value. I have been pleasantly surprised by what I had initially expected from a respondent versus what they actually were able to contribute.

Having an open mind. It is not uncommon to begin a qualitative study with client hypotheses about what we will discover during the research (e.g., why customers are dissatisfied, which ad or concept will be most appealing). However, the moderator and clients need to be ready to accept differing ideas and perspectives that could potentially lead to a complete redo of an ad campaign or a major refinement of a new product concept.

The bottom line – establishing good rapport with qualitative respondents can yield valuable insights for clients, and respondents will feel appreciated for their time and willingness to take a risk and share their honest thoughts and feelings.